London crowned burglary capital of Britain as 12 of its boroughs feature in the top 20 home insurance claims hotspots

By Matt West

London has been crowned the burglary capital of Britain ahead of Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool, according to research released today.

The postal district where most insurance claims for theft or burglary were made last year is the M21 district of Manchester, which includes the suburb of Chorlton-cum-Hardy and Barlow Moor.

But London dominated the list of postcodes most likely to have made a claim, with 12 districts among top 20 burglary hotspots [see list at foot of page], according to Moneysupermarket.com.

The price comparison website's 'burglary claims tracker' analysed 3.1million home insurance quotes to reveal where homeowners were most likely to have made a previous claim for theft and burglary.

Sought-after postcodes including Muswell Hill (N10) and East Finchley and Hampstead (both N2) were the London suburbs that suffered the most from burglaries, taking third and fifth in the index.

South of the River Thames, London’s southern postcode SE24 (Herne Hill and Tulse Hill) took second spot in the burglary claims index, while east London’s Dagenham (RM8) was fourth.

Birmingham and Liverpool each had two postcode districts in the top 20.

Kevin Pratt, home insurance expert at Moneysupermarket, said: ‘Places affected by higher rates of burglary insurance claims tends to mean higher annual insurance premiums for those who live there, typically premiums are 24 per cent more expensive on average.

‘Higher value properties could expect to pay even more than this. If you have not previously been burgled, but there are higher rates of burglary claims made within your postal district, you are likely to be paying steeper premiums as a result.

‘Insurers often take a blanket approach to assessing postcode districts for home insurance premiums rather than looking at insurance applications on a case by case basis.

At the other end of the scale Hampshire’s Basingstoke (including Popley, Chineham and Sherborne in RG24), Chandler’s Ford (SO53) and Havant (PO9) were among those least likely to have made an insurance claim for burglary.

Postcodes in Devon, including the small port town of Bideford (EX39), agricultural East Riding of Yorkshire (YO25), and three postcode areas in Northern Ireland, including Londonderry (BT47) were also largely free of

Meanwhile, people living in Leeds have seen the biggest reduction in burglary claims over the last two years.

The burglary claims tracker found LS postcodes featured in five out of the top twenty hotspots in 2011, with LS13 (made up of Bramley, Gamble Hill, Moorside, Rodley and Swinnow) topping the index that year and then taking fifth place in 2012.

But last year Leeds only featured once, with LS16 (Eccup, Far Headingley, Lawnswood, and West Park) taking eighteenth spot.

Bradford, which previously hosted 5 of the top 20 hotspots, is now completely absent from the UK’s top burglary claim hotspots.

The research also showed that on average, householders living in higher risk postcodes pay 24 per cent more for their cover, compared to the national average – or an extra £36 per year for their policy.

Mr Pratt said: 'The key thing is not to simply accept your insurance renewal – even if you live in a postcode which has a higher claim rate for burglaries, you can still save a huge amount by doing your research and switching to a better deal online.’

Source Daily Mail